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This LP was issued by epic records during the fall of 1968 in part as a promotional tool for the up-and-coming NBC-TV comedy series Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. Within two months of the program's debut in January of 1968, the show topped the ratings and began to revolutionize television with its fast-paced, gag-a-minute format; ultra-hip lingo; and a brilliant cast of characters who included the likes of Goldie Hawn, Henry Gibson, Judy Carne, Jo Anne Worley, Arte Johnson, Alan Sues, Ruth Buzzi, Gary Owens, and during later seasons Lily Tomlin, Richard Dawson, and Dave Madden. The disc contains highly edited excerpts from the first year. This long-player adopts the show's format and is replete with many of the memorable catch phrases that made it essential viewing for pseudo-hippies of all ages. "sock it to me" features Ms. Carne getting "socked" pretty much in the usual way, while "here come da judge" - originally a Pigmeat Markham bit that flourished during the comedian's frequent guest shots - is expanded into a full-fledged song-and-dance routine. The ensemble cast is on hand for the "cocktail party," as well as the "mod, mod world," and the memorable "joke wall" segments which would conclude each broadcast. The "news of the past, present, and future" was another of the weekly running skits and contained one of the show's most notable parodies, Dick Martin's spot-on spoof of Johnny Carson. It was also a platform for the ditzy blonde persona that Hawn perfected, as she'd effervescently giggle throughout her garbled introduction of Dan Rowan's "news of the future." all said, this soundtrack is a definite reminder of the show's frenetic editing, quick-draw sight gags, and the equally humorous one-liners and micro-skits. In 2003, the online comedy shop www.laugh.com reissued this title on cd. In 1969, Laugh-In spawned another long-player, Laugh-In '69 (1969), featuring more of the same madness, although by their second season, much of the humor was, almost to a fault, overtly political and social in nature. While that may have kept it concurrently timely, it likewise dated much of the material from the perspective of a modern listener. Cover worn on corners and slightly split on top.
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